One Pot Harissa Chicken and Butternut Squash Pilaf

4.34 from 3 votes

This easy peasy Harissa Chicken and Butternut Squash Pilaf takes less than 30 minutes to make and only uses one pan, yet tastes incredible.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Fusion, Middle Eastern

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings people

Calories 623kcal

Author Eb Gargano

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion sliced
1 red pepper diced
500 g boneless chicken thigh fillets diced (or breast fillets if you prefer)
400 g butternut squash diced
2 tablespoons harissa paste (or to taste - I used Tesco Ingredients, which is quite mild)
600 ml chicken stock
300 g easy cook brown rice (see note 2)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley plus extra for garnish

Place the olive oil, onions and peppers in a large frying pan or sauté pan and fry gently for 3 minutes with the lid on until softened, but not browned.
Remove the lid and turn up the heat. Add the chicken and fry for 3 minutes or until the chicken and vegetables have browned a little.
Add the harissa paste, butternut squash, stock and rice and mix together thoroughly. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a low simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for 20 minutes or until all the stock has been absorbed (see note 2) and the rice and butternut squash are tender.
Add the parsley and serve scattered with more parsley and accompanied by a glass of Sauvignon Blanc or Garnacha.

For a vegetarian version substitute the chicken for a 400g tin of chickpeas or a diced aubergine, and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
This recipe uses easy cook brown rice, which takes roughly 20 minutes to cook. If you can’t get easy cook brown rice, use normal brown rice and check the packet for cooking times.
Suitable for freezing.
Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.